“US WOMEN ON OUR OWN”

(A blog post "EXTRA" just tucked in for good measure)

A good friend who has suffered the loss of her husband wrote me about her experience of the Lord's provision. She had purchased a load of heavy river rock for her garden project and had to pick it up at Home Depot.

"I didn't know how I could possibly do it by myself. In my morning prayers I asked God for what I thought I needed--a "man in a truck" to help. Since no man with a truck knocked on my door before I left, I realized I would have to do it alone. Instead of providing "a man in a truck," the Lord made the loading of the heavy rock into and out of my car trunk so easy for me to do! Really amazing! 

"That's when I understood that God Himself is truly my "man in a truck" who helps me do alone what I need to do when there is truly no one to help me. My age and ailments are limiting me, but when I pray asking the Lord to be my husband during times of special need, God enables me to do it. Since then, when things get overwhelming and I'm exhausted and short on energy, I always pray for a "man in a truck" and anticipate God surprising me by how He Himself is going to look after me and provide what I need since I am a woman on my own."

What a loving, tender heart the Lord has for us women on our own who struggle with leaky faucets, roof repair, car maintenance, and the seemingly endless man-sized decisions our husbands used to handle! Yes, most of us women on our own know exactly what my friend is talking about.

Psalm 68 calls God “a father of the fatherless, a defender of the widows....” In Old Testament times people were warned, “Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.” The poor, the widow, the orphan, the alien [the stranger in the land], in fact, all defenseless people truly are objects of God's special concern and providential care.

My guess is that not all of my blog viewers, especially new viewers, are aware of the books for widows and supplemental resources for widows' support groups that I've written to help women navigate the new terrain of learning to live alone after the loss of a spouse and move toward a healthy adjustment leaning on the Lord.

I quote from one of my three published books to help such precious women:

 “I've been fatherless, even an orphan for many decades myself, and now a widow [for 24 years]. On all three counts I believe I've been qualified for God's special attention. The Lord has uniquely taken up my vulnerable case and becomes my defender, protector, shield, and fortress.

"In bygone days, it was the custom for a widow to go back to her father's house, if he were still living and had resources to care for her. She came under his protection again and looked to him for counsel and the supply of her needs, as she did when she was growing up in his household. We don't usually do that in our culture anymore. 

"However, we too, as [women on our own] are invited to go back to our Heavenly Father's house where we are under His protection and look to Him for guidance for our future. As the King's daughters we can count on God's unlimited resources for the supply of all our needs! We are safe and happy in our Father's house.

“An even closer bond is available to us. In Isaiah 54 it is written that '...your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts....' Although originally the passage was written for the nation of Israel, the principle may apply more broadly. Jesus is presented in the New Testament as the Bridegroom and the Church as His bride. The individual believer is part of that bride. Our personal relationship to Jesus is to be that of love. That love is strengthened as we who are [women on our own] lean heavily on Christ who now completely fills the gap left by our husband. I'm not left alone to fend for myself. I can share the intimate happenings of my life with my Maker, my husband. I can talk over my burdens, problems, and concerns with Him. I can share my joys and my hopes. I can submit my plans and decisions to Him and follow His perfect leading.

“Lord, I hereby take You as my lawful husband and provider. I DO! And death will never part us!”

Among my blog viewers I'm sure there are many hundreds of us women on our own. And I'm sure we all know about still more of them among our family and friends. At least every few days I receive phone calls and emails from someone who wants to order more copies of one of my books for “singled out” women, as I call them. Usually someone has given them a copy and they have been encouraged. Now they in turn want to give a copy to a friend or family member who has suffered a fresh loss.

I invite you to my web site www.goldenmorning.com to read a review of each of my three books on this topic and obtain ordering information. Feel free to phone me with your order, if that is more convenient. At this time I give the third book, WALK THE GREEN VALLEY, free with your order of either one or the other or both of SINGLED OUT FOR GOD'S ASSIGNMENT and THE WIDOW'S MIGHT.

Let's embrace our sisters in Christ who are women on their own with love and understanding and helpful resources.